A steam-stripping finishing method is widely used conventionally as a method for recovering a rubber-like polymer from a rubber-like polymer solution or a slurry containing the rubber-like polymer.
The steam-stripping finishing method is generally performed using a steam stripping apparatus that is equipped with at least one cylindrical upright crumbing tank. However, a problem with the steam-stripping finishing method is that, in a first tank in which the solvent content in crumbs of the rubber-like polymer that is being handled is relatively large, crumbs are liable to adhere to a wall inside the crumbing tank, or large particle size crumbs are generated by reaggregation of crumbs and there is a risk that the large particle size crumbs will cause pipe blockages.
Various methods have already been proposed to control the particle size of crumbs in order to prevent the occurrence of such problems in crumbing tanks.
For example, methods that use a specific dispersing agent (for example, see Patent Literature 1 and 2) and methods that use a specific impeller (for example, see Patent Literature 3) are available.